Book Review: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
Published: 1980 Pages: 216
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 5/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Plot Synopsis

Ford Prefect has been stuck on Earth for 15 years, but when he realizes that Earth is about to be demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, he grabs his Earthman friend, Arthur Dent, and the two of them hitch a ride on a Vogon spaceship. That's just the first few pages...

My Thoughts

I have read this book many many times, and each time I laugh. Funny is the first word that comes to mind. Clever is the second. Throughout the book there are neat little statements, concepts, and ideas that are both ridiculous and oddly infused with Truth. Philosophers adamantly demanding the destruction of a computer which can provide the ultimate answer; physicists lynching the student who figured out the Infinite Improbability problem; mice and dolphins being a bit more intelligent than commonly assumed; etc.

The part that makes it clever and funny though is not necessarily the plot so much as the writing. Adams employs syntax and turns of phrase that make the writing as clever as the ideas. For example: "...it invariably delivered a liquid that tasted almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea." The first time I read that line, I paused, went back, and read it again. I love it when a writer can make me pause for a clever turn of phrase.

Recommendation

I highly recommend this book to anyone as I truly believe that even those who are not necessarily science fiction fans will still find something to enjoy in Douglas Adams Hitchhiker's Guide. Pretty much all ages can enjoy this book as well. While there are a few sexual innuendos (pretty innocent ones such as "Best Bang since the Big One") and references to drinking and smoking, this is nothing that will surprise most pre-teens.

Other Reviews

Jules' Book Reviews

Reading Report: .5 of 2009

Jenners of Find Your Next Book Here just completed a 2nd Quarter Summary Extravaganza and I got jealous. I love figuring out stats on what I read, but I usually save it for the end of the year and try to keep it as simple as possible. Well, phooey on that...I'm going for a mid-year report.

and...

June 29's MUSING MONDAYS post is about mid-year reading… Now that we’ve come to the middle of the year, what do you think of your 2009 reading so far? Read anything interesting that you’d like to share? Any outstanding favourites?

January through June

Total Books Read: 41
Last year I read 49 books from January to June but while a good chunk of those books were romance novels (18), this year I've only read 4. I better step it up a notch since I joined the 100+ Challenge. I still have 60+ books left.

Total Pages Read: 12,747
That seems like a whole lot of pages....a whole lot. I have no idea what I read last year as I wasn't keeping track of pages. I just can't bring myself to go back and log the pages for those 49 books.

Books in Categories: 9S, 4R, 17F, 7N, and 4O
I tend to divide my reading into YAL Science Fiction and Fantasy, Romance Novels, and "Real" Books, mainly because YAL SFF and Romance are my top two guilty pleasures. After two years where 80% of my reading was guilty pleasure, I made a New Years Resolution to cut back. I'm also adding an Other category for things like children's books and graphic novels. Here's where I'm at so far this year.

YAL SFF: 9 (8 in the Pendragon series and Meyer's The Host)
Romance Novels: 4
"Real" Books: 24 (Fiction: 16 Nonfiction: 7)
Other: 4 (Children's: 1 Graphic Novels: 3)

Not too shabby.

Author Count: 11F, 19M and 21A, 8D
In the first half of this year, I have read 11 female authors and 18 male; of those, 21 are still alive, while 8 are dead. I have absolutely no idea what this means. Perhaps I should read more dead authors?

My Favorites so Far
The Know-it-All by A.J. Jacobs because it was hilarious.
Watchmen by Alan Moore because it introduced me to graphic novels.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway because of the way it was written.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon because of the way it was written, which is totally different from the way Hemingway wrote.

Challenge Update

• Dream King Challenge: I said I was going to read 12 books and watch 4 movies by Neil Gaiman this year. So far, I've read 4 books and watched 2 films. I'm not positive I'll hit twelve books, but I'm still working on it.
• What's in a Name Challenge: I've read 4 of the 6 books total for this challenge and I'm pretty confident I'll have this done well before the deadline.
• Chunkster Challenge: I've had a few false starts on this as I keep reading books over 450 pages but then realize that YAL doesn't count. I said I would read 3-5 books for this challenge and I've already completed 3. I want to get at least one more in.
• Take a Chance Challenge: This one was very exciting at the start as finding books was lovely randomness. Now, I just have to get moving. I've only read one book so far for this challenge.
• Sookie Stackhouse Challenge: I was very excited to see this challenge, but after reading the first book, I'm much less eager. I'm not sure this series is for me. I'm going to read at least one more and see if it gets better, but I may have to *gasp* quit this one.
• A-Z Reading Challenge: I decided to do titles for this challenge, and so far I have 20 books done and 6 to go. Reading anyways. I still have to complete reviews for 7 already-read books plus the 6 I still need to read.
• 100+ Challenge: Obviously, I'm at 41 books and only one week away from the midpoint. I need to step it up a notch if I'm going to make it to over 100 books, especially since I'm so severely limiting my YAL SFF and Romance novel reading.

And there you have it, Trisha's reading so far this year. There's still one week of June left, so if I finish any other books, I'll update this post.
I'd love to have links to other people's midyear reports, so if you have one up on your blog, leave your link in the comments section!
MidYear Reading Reports
Jenners at Find Your Next Book Here
Kaye at The Road Goes Ever On
Robin of My Two Blessings

Book Review: Virtual Devotion

Title: Virtual Devotion

Author: Eric Coble

Published: 2007 Pages: 85

Genre: Drama

Rating: 2/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Plot Synopsis: The play follows three "religious" family members through one day of their life.

Humor, there was plenty, but I felt the play was lacking any real substance. The plot revolves around the commodification and mass production of religion, pointing out the greed that infuses such faith. Well, yes, good point, I can very much see that. But now what? Ruth, Pete, and Anne are each extremely interesting characters facing very unique situations. But after reading the play, I don't feel I understand them at all and I certainly don't identify with any of them. So, now what?

From time to time I'll read something short and think, wow, what a great glimpse at *insert a unique truth here*. But reading this play left me underwhelmed. I not only wanted more, I need more to truly have any connection to the story or the characters.

Perhaps the entertainment value is enough; afterall I did say the play was funny. While that is certainly a possibility, it's probably only true if one watches the play instead of reading it. Would I go to a showing of Virtual Devotion if it came around? Yes. Will I ever re-read this play? No.

Book Review: Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Title: Lord of the Rings
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Published: 2002 Pages: 1168
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: 5/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Plot Synopsis

The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy including Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers, and the Return of the King. I have read each book consequetively, one or two separately, and bits and pieces of a book every now and again.

FotR introduces readers to the cast of characters, especially the hobbits, situates readers in the time period, and begins the journey. TTT, of course, continues the adventure, and adds a twist to the plot by moving the main characters into two separate groups. RotK includes the height of the action, reunites our two groups, and wraps up the adventure.

I realize I've included very little detail, but I have two reasons for that. 1) I assume that most people are familiar with the storyline whether from the books or the films and 2) I hate reading plot synopses because they inevitably contain plot spoilers. What I really want to get to here are the questions posed for the Weekly Geeks assignment.

Becky asked quite a few questions so I'm going to handle them one or two at a time:

• Did you enjoy this trilogy? I loved it, absolutely adored Lord of the Rings.
• Who was your favorite character? Did you have a least favorite character? Both of those questions are very difficult to answer. I can't say that I have a favorite character. Gandalf and Saruman fascinate me the most, particularly their relationship to each other and to the world. As for least favorite character....probably Smeagol. He bothers me.
• Did you skip the poetry by any chance? The first time I read the books and possibly the second, I did skip the poetry. It seemed an unnecessary time killer. As I started to become more and more interested in the world Tolkien had created, I started paying more attention to details like the poetry/music, and it started making more sense as I read other Tolkien books.
• What is it about this one that you love most? I love the way Tolkien created an entire world with a past, present, and future. Each race has a language and a culture. The complexity is what drew me in and got be a bit obsessed.
• Have you read any other Tolkien Middle-Earth novels? I have read the Silmarillion, portions of the HoME series, and a few critical theory type books by other authors regarding Middle Earth.
• Have you seen the movies? Did you think they did justice to the books? I would say 80% of the time I find the movie seriously lacking, but in this instance, I was very pleased with the movies. I found them exciting, moving, beautiful, and well-done. And while there were definite differences, I fell that in the end the movies got at the Truth of the books.

Another Cookie Crumbles says he wants to read this trilogy. All I can say is ABSOLUTELY GO FOR IT.

My Final Thoughts on LotR

The trilogy is worth the time and effort it takes to read. From time to time, I found myself wondering why I had to read about every vein on every leaf on every tree in the forest (slight exaggeration), in the end all of that detail helped create the world I fell so much in love with. If you haven't read Lord of the Rings yet, go now to your nearest bookstore.

Book Review: Dead Until Dark

Title: Dead Until Dark

Author: Charlaine Harris

Published: 2001 Pages: 292

Genre: Vampire, Detective

Rating: 3/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Plot Synopsis

Sookie Stackhouse has a special ability, a boyfriend who is a vampire, a loser-ish brother, and a killer who wants her dead. She's going about her business as a relatively normal, dateless waitress, when Bill Compton, mainstreaming vampire, walks in. From that moment on, Sookie's average life is kicked into high gear.

My Thoughts

The first time I heard anything about this series it was that the Stackhouse books were "Twilight for adults". I disagree. I don't see how these books are any more mature than Twilight. Yes, the couple actually does have sex, unlike the ridiculously puritanical Twilight couple, but Sookie and her vampire don't exactly get down and dirty like the couples in a Nora Roberts romance novel.

For the most part, there was nothing new in this book. The hero is the typical bad guy (vampire) with a heart of gold, the other vampires are your usual sexy, blood thirsty control freaks, and the murder victims are, of course, low-income females who enjoy rough sex. I felt like I'd read the book before...at least pieces of it.

I do think, however, that the series has some possibilities for me. For example, I did find Sookie's semi-quirky nature sort of fun - she flat out laughs at a vampire she's just met when she finds out his too-normal name - and I find Sam and Eric intriguing. I'm hoping that as I get into the other books in the series, the plot thickens and the characters deepen. Most who read this book, this series, seem to enjoy it, so I'm willing to give it some effort.

Other Reviews

My Life in Books
A Readers Respite
Melody's Reading Corner
Just One More Page
Lou's Pages

The A-Z Challenge

The A-Z Challenge is hosted by Becky and offers participants five separate choices, to read authors, titles, authors and titles, or countries A-Z or to read 26 alphabet books. I've decided to complete the Title Challenge and read 26 books, each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. I actually thought about this quite awhile ago, but I completely neglected to make my post or sign up in any true way. I started a list in Word and then did absolutely nothing productive with it. Here is the list with links to the reviews:

A. Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
B. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
C. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
D. The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman
E. Escape by Carolyn Jessop
F. Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses by Mark Twain
G. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
H. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I. I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle
J. The Joys and Perils of Victimhood by Ian Buruma
K. The Know-it-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs
L. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
M. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
N. No Touch Monkey by Ayun Halliday
O. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
P. Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
Q. The Quillan Games by D.J. MacHale
R. Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz
S. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
T. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
U. Upside Down and Backward by William T. Vollman
V. Virtual Devotion by Eric Coble
W. Watchmen by Allan Moore
X. Experience and Education by John Dewey
Y. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Z. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

As you can see, I'm a bit behind on reviews. I wrote a quick review for some of the "unreviewed books" but I'm wanting to flesh those out into actual reviews sometime in the coming week. I'll add as I go on.

~~~~~~~~~
Date Completed: 11/12/2009

Book Review: No Touch Monkey

Title: No Touch Monkey and Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late
Author: Ayun Halliday
Published: 2003 Pages: 272
Genre: Travel, Humor
Rating: 3/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Ayun Halliday's No Touch Monkey is a collection of travel stories which reveal much more about the traveler than about the places she visits. This is more memoir than travel writing in my opinion. The majority of the book seems intent on telling stories which reveal Halliday's liberality.

Halliday travles the world according to Lonely Planet on a Shoestring Budget. She longs for authenticity, sniffing disdainfully at the fake backpackers, those staying in nice hotels with tour guides and bottled Evian. She, and various boyfriends, sleep in dingy hostels and B&Bs, go for extended periods of time without bathing, and feast on sugar packets.

What I was most impressed by was her tenacity. When her knee goes out, she doesn't jump the first plane out of Sumatra. She powers through malaria and stomach "issues" for which there is no truly descriptive, appropriate word. And she does it all - at least in the book - with a light-hearted, partial whine, self-deprecating outlook. The book was definitely humorous; although for me it was more a smile than a belly laugh.

I was least impressed by the lack of details for a traveler. While I can remember many, many anecdotes, I can't necessarily remember where they took place as the setting was quite often irrelevant. Much more detail is given to her hippie-alterna-chick wardrobe, beliefs, desires, and Birkenstocks. I would have liked a bit more on where she was, rather than so much of...well, her. That is just expectation though. When I read a travel book, I expect to learn a bit more about the location, the culture, than was offered in this book.

And here for the first time, another review I found of this book. Hopefully, the author won't mind. If you have reviewed this book and would like me to include a link to your site, please let me know in the comments.

Other Reviews

Bookfoolery and Babble

Weekly Geeks: Reading Challenges

This week's Weekly Geeks topic was suggested by Sheri of A Novel Menagerie. She writes:

"Reading Challenges: a help or a hurt? Do you find that the reading challenges keep you organized and goal-oriented? Or, do you find that as you near the end of a challenge that you've failed because you fell short of your original goals? As a result of some reading challenges, I've picked up books that I would have otherwise never heard of or picked up; that, frankly, I have loved. Have you experienced the same with challenges? If so, which ones? Do you have favorite reading challenges?"

As we pass the halfway point of 2009, how are you doing with your reading challenges? Did you participate in any challenges this year?

I have been thinking about this quite a bit lately; although not necessarily for the reasons listed. First, I love the reading challenges. I love completing them, and that is where my problem comes in. I sign-up for the challenge, look at my list for that challenge, and start reading. The problem is stopping. I'm having difficulty picking up books that aren't part of a challenge; I'm reading way too fast because I want to finish.

For example, in the past two and a half months, I have joined five challenges. The most difficult, The Chunkster Challenge, calls for books over 450 pages in length and no YAL. I have already read three books for this challenge. The What's in a Name Challenge - 4 books done. Dream King Challenge - 4 books and 2 movies. Technically, I'm done with The Chunkster Challenge, and I only have two books left for What's in a Name. And I have until the end of the YEAR to finish these challenges. It's ridiculous!

My other problem is that this is not the way I'm used to choosing books. Typically, what I read is the result of randomness, not planning. I pick a book off my shelves on a whim. It may be one I've never read or one I've read 20 times. But now, with reading challenges, I feel like I have to be more structured, like I have to read a book off my challenges lists.

All of this is very odd as I'm generally not a goal-oriented person. I don't make timelines for projects at work or lists of what to do on my day off. I'm perfectly happy starting something and not finishing it because something else came up. I wouldn't exactly call myself "flighty" but well, yeah, I can be flighty....easily distracted....ummm, refreshingly spontaneous and laid back!

For some reason, though, these reading challenges cause a great desire to finish within me. I really like adding the "strike" tags. If I don't slow down though, I'm going to burn out. So I'm going to take a deep breath, relax, and remember that the world won't end if I don't finish each of my challenges in record time.

Book Review: Stiff

Title: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Author: Mary Roach
Published: 2003 Pages: 294
Genre: Nonfiction, Death and Dying
Rating: 5/5


Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid


Weekly Geeks asked participants to list books they have read but not reviewed and then invite others to ask questions about these books. The idea was to help us catch up on our reviews. I listed Stiff as an option.

Plot Synopsis

Mary Roach explores life after death in Stiff. What are the possibilities for a human cadaver? Wide-reaching according to this books which looks at test-cadavers, body snatching, crucifixion, human decay, and medicinal cannibalism.

Eva wants to know my favorite part of Stiff.

Choosing a favorite part of this book is like deciding which sprinkle you like best on your ice cream sundae. This is one of my favorite books, for a few reasons: it's hilarious, well-written and researched, and fascinating. Two parts stand out to me a bit more than the others: I think it is very cool that in Sweden my body can be thrown on a compost pile and used as fertilizer. The chapter discussing the history of the definition and identification of "dead" had me laughing and shaking my head in despair. Really though, the entire book is full of interesting facts.

softdrink of fizzy thoughts couldn’t read the chapter on plane crashes, and Vasilly said the part on how bullets get tested and the "corpse" farm almost made me lose my lunch a few times. Both wanted to know if there were any parts in the book which were difficult for me to read.

I have yet to encounter something I can't read...at least for the reason suggested in your questions. I mean, I've put down a boring book and a headache causing book, but I've never had to put down a book because of "graphic content" be it bloody body parts, deviant sex, or any other cause for an R rating.

In some instances, I couldn't tell you why. For example, A Child Called "It", while it definitely disturbed me - I was sick to my stomach - I kept on reading. This doesn't make sense. Stiff, on the other hand, I can tell you why it doesn't bother me. She is writing about dead bodies, not real people. Whatever happens to a body after death, you are gone, whatever it is that makes you you, the soul, the mind, whatever, it is done for, kipput, out the door. I don't hold with the beliefs that your body has to remain intact after death. I believe cemetaries are, basically, a waste of space, and I believe the world is better served if my body is put to some good use after death - harvest my organs, practice surgery on me, then throw me on the compost heap. In other words, Stiff, to me, is a practical book, not a scary or disturbing one.

I'm not sure what that says about me....

Vasilly also asks: What did you think of Stiff? Was this your first book by Mary Roach?

Well, I certainly think I've answered the first question: I loved this book. It was my first one by Mary Roach, and I can not remember where I first heard about it. New York Times best seller list? Chicago Tribune 'what people are reading around town' section? Television? It seriously might have been television; I'm pretty sure I remember the book being mentioned on some random sitcom; although I think that was after I purchased the book and before I read it.

Once I read Stiff, I was hooked. Now, I have read Roach's other nonfiction works as well. Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife and Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Sex and Science are, just like Stiff, very interesting, very humorous looks at concepts that fascinate. In Spook, Roach researches the use of science in detecting, evaluating, and debunking the supernatural. Bonk, obvious from the subtitle, is a collection of essays (all of these books read like an essay collection) on the scientific - and not so scientific - study of sex.

My Final Thoughts on Stiff

I loved this book and I would highly recommend it to others. I enjoyed the topic, the personality of Roach revealed in this first person narrative, and the way the essays were written. I actually don't have much to say that is negative. Perhaps time has made the heart grow fonder about this book - it has been quite a while since I read it - but I don't think that is the case. I remember fully enjoying Stiff and wishing, when I reached the last page, that it wasn't over. It is possible, however, that any annoying bits have washed away from my memory. But if they were there to begin with, they must have been small.

Book Review: Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Title: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
Published: 6 stories between 1979 and 1992
Pages: 815
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 5/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Plot Synopsis

Well, there are six stories in this volume, so let's give a quick run-down of each. First, we have the book that hooked me, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which chronicles the adventures of Ford and Dent as they roam through the universe after the destruction of Earth - a hyperspatial express route was needed and Earth was in the way.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, book 2, pairs Ford and Dent with Zaphod and Trillian. The four spend their time seeking the ultimate question to the ultimate answer, and watching the end of the universe.

Life, the Universe, and Everything plays upon the previous two novels and has Dent and company are tasked with saving the universe.

So Long and Thanks for all the Fish brings us back to Earth, not currently demolished for the bypass. Arthur must figure out why - and where all the dolpins went.

Young Zaphod Plays it Safe, book 5, has Zaphod exploring the reasons a ship that could never crash crashed and learning a few disturbing secrets about himself and the universe along the way.

The last book, Mostly Harmless, has Arthur trying to get back to Earth, but becoming a master sandwich maker instead. While he's making his sandwiches some not good things are happening to the Guide.

Weekly Geeks asked participants to list books they have read but not reviewed and then invite others to ask questions about these books. The idea was to help us catch up on our reviews. I listed Hitchhiker's Guide as one of those books. I'm pretty sure most people thought I meant only the original, and honestly that's probably what I was thinking when I listed the book, but I thought if I was going to review, I may as well throw in the Ultimate Guide.



Louise wanted a quick summary of HHG.

*points above*

Bart from Bart’s Bookshelf had some excellent questions for an HHG reader including “do you know where your towel is” and “who is your favorite character”.

Well Bart, I have a plethora of towels in various locations just in case. I have a towel in the trunk of my car, attached to my golf bag, in a drawer at work, and of course there is a square-shaped material of some sort in every room of my house.

My favorite character.....tough one.....I adore Marvin with his pessimistic, fatalistic depression. He definitely ranks up there on a list of favorite characters. And I would think that second place would probably go to Ford. His personality is addicting.

Becky asks: Did you enjoy this one? Who would you recommend this one to? Do you think it would be a good place for sci-fi newbies to start? Have you read any of the sequels? Have you seen the movie? If you have, would you recommend them?

I think this is an excellent place for SF newbies to start because the book never takes itself too seriously like some SF books do. The humor is laugh-out-loud funny and rather insightful. I have read all of the sequels and have seen the movie. The sequels I highly recommend; the film is so-so. Like many book-film transitions, the movie is just too different and doesn't capture the complex, humor-filled, satirical essence of HHG.

Jodie of Book Gazing asks: What was your favourite crazy sci-fi detail from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? How do you feel about the proposed ‘new’ Hitchhiker book being written by Eoin Coiffer?

This is a tough question. My favorite crazy sci-fi detail from HHG? I'm not even sure I could pick one without re-reading the novels. A few things jump out at me: the origins of the human species being the unnecessaries from another culture, the Earth game cricket's connection to the Krikkit Wars, and the gin and tonic phenomena are the ones which really stand out.

I'm fine with someone writing a new HHG book. I'm not a fan of re-telling whether it's a book, movie, or song, but I'm a-okay with new authors/directors/singers adding to the collection. For example, Coiffer adding a book to the HHG series is perfectly acceptable; him trying to rewrite the original HHG, not so much. Madonna remaking American Pie, ugh; Kid Rock using portions of Sweet Home Alabama to create a new song, okey-dokey. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 45...good stuff; updated version of Psycho, bad. Make sense?

My Final Thoughts on HHG

When people ask me if I have a favorite book, this is the only one which always makes the list. And yes, I give a list when someone asks for a favorite book. HHG, the original single story, appealed to me so much when I first read it (sometime in high school), I re-read the book immediately after finishing it - two readings in less than three weeks.

I love the way it is written. For example, I just randomly let the book fall open and this is the passage that first caught my eye:

Bypasses are devices that allow some people to dash from point A to point B very fast while other people dash from point B to point A very fast. People living at point C, being a poitn directly in between, are often given to wonder what's so great about point A that so many people from point B are so keen to get there, and what's so gread about point B that so many people from point A are so keen to get there. They often wish that people would just once and for all work out where they hell they wanted to be.

Hilarious.

Book Review: Wicked

Title: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Author: Gregory Maguire
Published: 1995 Pages: 406
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Weekly Geeks asked participants to list books they have read but not reviewed and then invite others to ask questions about these books. The idea was to help us catch up on our reviews. I listed Wicked as one of those books and four people had questions for me.

Plot Synopsis

Many suggest that Wicked retells the Wizard of Oz story from the Wicked Witches point of view. But it's not that simple. This is not a retelling; this is a complete reworking. Dorothy doesn't even come in to play until the last of the five sections of the book. Wicked is the biography of Elphaba, an intelligent, green-skinned outcast who longs for acceptance and love. It is also the story of Oz, a land troubled by inequalities and power hungry politicians.


Maree, Becky, and Yati all asked how I felt about the book in general.

I loved this book. I found the story fascinating, and I truly enjoyed the new spin on familiar characters and settings. With a complex and heartrending plotline, Maguire really draws the reader in to the world of Oz, which in this book becomes a world unto itself instead of the mirror image of Kansas Oz was in the original story.

Becky also wanted to know who I would recommend it to, and if I have read any of the sequels.

I haven't read the sequels, but I have read Mirror, Mirror and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. While I enjoyed both of those books, they did not appeal to me in the same way Wicked did. I thought Wicked was much more complex and much more mature than the others. I do own Lost, but it's been sitting on my TBR shelf for quite some time.

Becky and softdrink of fizzy thoughts wondered if I thought Maguire has gone too far with the whole rewriting of Oz and other tales.

I can see how some people would be troubled by the revising of such an iconic work. When a person plays around with a story which has permeated a culture, he/she takes a real risk. For me, however, a rewriting of a classic tale can be very powerful, especially when the rewriting is a transitioning process between a children's story and adult literature. Fleshing out a fairy tale and bringing it into the realm of adult lit offers us the possibility of further exploring those worlds we first encountered in our youth - but seeing them as an adult. I love this.

softdrink of fizzy thoughts also was curious as to which genre I would classify the book.

I immediately classified Wicked as a Fantasy novel. Maguire creates a world where magic exists, where animals speak, and little green girls can make monkeys fly. I think it's possible the book could be classified as a political book and possibly even a romance novel, but fantasy suits the book best in my opinion.

My Final Thoughts on Wicked

I have read the book once and have seen the musical twice. I won't even get in to the differences between the two here. Suffice it to say that the musical is made more mainstream to draw a larger audience. Despite that fact, I loved the musical as well as the book, and if you haven't seen the musical, you really should.

Doing this has made me want to read the book again!

BTT: Science Fiction and Fantasy

This weeks Booking Through Thursday asks participants to celebrate science fiction and fantasy. Yay!

The prompt: One of my favorite sci-fi authors (Sharon Lee) has declared June 23rd Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers Day. As she puts it: So! In my Official Capacity as a writer of science fiction and fantasy, I hereby proclaim June 23 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Day! A day of celebration and wonder! A day for all of us readers of science fiction and fantasy to reach out and say thank you to our favorite writers. A day, perhaps, to blog about our favorite sf/f writers. A day to reflect upon how written science fiction and fantasy has changed your life.

So … what might you do on the 23rd to celebrate? Do you even read fantasy/sci-fi? Why? Why not?

Science Fiction and Fantasy has somehow, over the past five years, become my favorite guilty pleasures genre. I used to read romance novels for relaxation purposes...and by the truckload. Slowly but surely, however, Science Fiction/Fantasy, especially of the YAL variety, has taken over and all but eliminated my need for Nora Roberts and Sandra Brown.

I have three reasons I love Science Fiction/Fantasy (SFF).

1) Escapism: When I'm reading in this genre, I'm reading about a world truly not my own, and that allows me to forget about reality for awhile and immerse myself in the imagination. I love this, and both science fiction novels and fantasy novels, even the most realistic of them, offer readers a whole new world to explore.

2) Epic Plots: SFF are all about epic storytelling with battles between good and evil, larger than life heroes and villains, and worlds-as-setting. These stories are dramatic, infused with importance both on the plot level and on the character level.

3) Easy Reads: Finally, most of the SFF I read are what I consider easy reads, especially at the YAL level. Reading Twilight, Pendragon, Harry Potter, etc. is not like reading Shakespeare or Eliot. At the same time, I realize that non-YAL SFF can be more difficult. Le Guin, Asimov, Adams, Gaiman, and others are complex literary writers. Still, for me, reading the upper echelon of SFF is still a lighter read than the "literary canon". Perhaps that's just because I like the SFF books more????

I love the idea of having a day to celebrate these two genres. A couple activities which come to mind are SFF read-a-thons, dress-up like your fave character day (although I wouldn't leave the house if I did this), talk like a fairy tale princess day, writing your own SFF story, and of course blogging about SFF books or authors.

I will have to think more on this to decide how I will celebrate on June 23.

Here I go, Here I go, Here I go again...

...girls what's my weakness? MEN BOOK CHALLENGES!!!



That's right, I'm joining another one. The Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge!

The Challenge: Here's your chance to catch up on Sookie and all her friends -- living and undead, fully human and not.

It's easy, it's fun, it's for you! And you have an entire year to complete the challenge.

Between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, catch up on Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series. No matter if you're starting with book 1 or book 8, you have a year to read all about Sookie. Read Sookie in print, listen to the audio, read an eBook -- format is not an issue.

The Books:
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and Gone
Dead in the Family


The first five books have been sitting on my TBR shelf since Christmas, so this challenge certainly came at the right time. I'm going to add on to this challenge a bit for myself and combine the reading with watching True Blood, a television series based on the books.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, so I didn't quite make it.  I still have three books left to read and as today is June 30, I don't think I'm going to complete the challenge.  The Stackhouse series is not finished for me yet though; I plan on reading the remaining three books sometime this year.

I did manage to watch the first two seasons of True Blood, which I loved, and now I'm impatiently waiting for season 3 to come out on DVD.

Book Review: Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Published: 1847 Pages: 466
Genre: Romance, Gothic
Rating: 5/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Weekly Geeks asked participants to list books they have read but not reviewed and then invite others to ask questions about these books. The idea was to help us catch up on our reviews. I listed Jane Eyre as one of those books and four people had questions for me.

Plot Synopsis

Jane Eyre is a simple, plain woman living her life in the pages of this book. She suffers at the hands of her cousins, grows as she receives an education, falls in love with her employer and is betrayed by him, gains new friends and a second marriage proposal, and finally comes into her own life and love.

Rebecca at The Book Lady's Blog asks why I first read Jane Eyre and what I most enjoyed or found most surprising about the book.
I'm not sure exactly when I first read this novel, but I know it was sometime in high school. I was in my "all classic novels all the time" stage at that point, so Jane Eyre was an obvious choice. As for what I found most surprising, I think this was the first novel I could classify as romance that was almost antithetical to the typical understanding of romance novels. By the time I read this book, I was already familiar with Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, and a myriad other romance novelists. Charlotte Bronte's style of romance held nothing in common with those books, and yet I felt Jane and Rochester's story more deeply.
Becky asks: Did you enjoy this one? Did you think Mr. Rochester made for a good hero, a good romantic lead? Why or why not? What about Jane did you like best (or like least)? Would you recommend this one to others?

Whether or not Rochester is a good hero/romantic lead is a very difficult question which could take pages and pages to truly answer. On the one hand, he is passionate, unconventional, impetuous, and mysterious - all excellent traits for a hero/romantic lead. On the other hand, however, he is self-serving and dangerous (not in that I can take out anyone who attacks you way, but in that if you annoy me I'll lock you in the attack way). As for Jane, I admire her desire to be autonomous, while simultaneously I love it that she returns to Rochester. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Infant Biblliophile wonders who I would cast in a play of this book.

I love this question, but it's soooo very difficult to answer. According to IMdB.com, Jane Eyre has been produced over 20 times, and apparently a 2009 film of the novel may be appearing with Ellen Page starring. I think the reason it's so difficult for me to pick a star is that I would probably cast more unknown actors and actresses in a play/movie of Jane Eyre. That way the story wouldn't be clouded by preconceived opinions regarding the stars.

Eva wants to know if I’ve read other Bronte books and how they compare to Jane Eyre.

Unfortunately, I've never read any other of Charlotte's novels, excepting Emma, which in reality was written after Charlotte's death. She only wrote the first 20 pages or so. I've read Emily's Wuthering Heights and absolutely adored it. I haven't read either of Anne's books.

My Final Thoughts on Jane Eyre

This novel deserves the exalted place it has received in the literary canon. The characters and the plot are highly complex, intriguing and surprising the reader continually throughout. Like real people, Jane and Rochester are flawed, and while their love is passionate, it does not supplant logic or smooth over every difficulty as it does in most modern romances. I would highly recommend this book to readers.

Side Note: Read Jane Eyre and then read Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair.

Book Review: Pendragon 8

Title: The Pilgrims of Rayne

Author: D.J. MacHale

Published: 2007 Pages: 547

Genre: YAL, SciFi

Rating: 3.5/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

From the back cover: When Bobby Pendragon first arrives on the tropical world of Ibara, he finds paradise. As he works to uncover clues about the turning point this seemingly idyllic territory will soon face, all he can determine is that the people of Ibara are blissfully happy. It's not long before Bobby discovers, however, that they are blissfully...oblivious.
The leaders of Ibara are keeping a devastating secret from their people, one that gives Saint Dane all the opportunity he needs to launch his final assault on Halla.


The description on the back cover tells you nothing about the plot of this story, which is actually why I used it. I'm not sure I could really describe this book without giving away a great deal of information. Most of the time I don't really care about plot spoilers, minor ones anyway, but in this case I feel like the majority of the book was focused on tiny twists that if revealed change the experience of the book.

My feelings are still rather neutral on the series as a whole. The repetition still annoys me, but I'm interested enough to keep reading. And so we go on to books nine and ten...as soon as I buy them.

Weekly Geeks: Read but not Reviewed

The Topic: This week, I'm going back to a classic Dewey topic--#12 to be exact. I chose this for several reasons--one, it's one of my favorite weekly geeks topics--but more importantly I saw it would work well with two very important bloggy events going on this week.

1. In your blog, list any books you’ve read but haven’t reviewed yet. If you’re all caught up on reviews, maybe you could try this with whatever book(s) you hope to finish this week. (Be sure to leave a link to this post either in the comments of this post, or in the Mister Linky below.)

2. Ask your readers to ask you questions about any of the books they want. In your comments, not in their blogs. (Most likely, people who will ask you questions will be people who have read one of the books or know something about it because they want to read it.)

3. Later, take whichever questions you like from your comments and use them in a post about each book. Link to each blogger next to that blogger’s question(s).

4. Visit other Weekly Geeks and ask them some questions!

What are these other bloggy events? One is the June Mini-Challenge for Dewey's Reading Challenge. Kailana is asking folks to list the books they've completed (but not reviewed) for either the Dewey Reading Challenge or Carl's Once Upon A Time III challenge. Her due date is Saturday, June 20th. All the details are on the post about the challenge. The second is Natasha'sBloggiesta. On June 19th and 20th, Natasha is encouraging bloggers to catch up on their blogs. Included in this is reviewing!

The number of books I have read, but not reviewed, is astronomical. And I'm only exaggerating a bit. We are talking about thousands of books. It is a depressing thought; I wish I would have started journaling/blogging about books earlier. Like when I was four. Alas, I didn't and now here I am with shelves of books and books lost to time which are not now and probably never will be blogged about.

What I thought I would do for this Weekly Geeks is to list the first books I have read, but not reviewed, that come to mind:

1. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
3. Naked by David Sedaris
4. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
5. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
6. His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
7. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
8. Stiff by Mary Roach
9. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
10. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
11. The Medium is the Message by Marshall McLuhan
12. I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle
13. White Oleander by Janet Fitch
14. 1984 by George Orwell
15. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Now, I turn the task to anyone reading this blog. Your job is to leave comments, asking me questions about any of the books I posted.

Book Review: Pendragon 7

Title: The Quillan Games

Author: D.J. MacHale

Published: 2006 Pages: 486

Genre: YAL, SciFi

Rating: 4/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

The Quillan Games stood out to me from the very beginning because of the odd sense of familiarity the territory had for me. On Quillan, a corporation has taken over, controlling the entire population by being the only place to work or to buy food. People are unhappy, hungry, cramped, and desperate. They can increase their station in life by a small amount or a large amount through gambling on games. Some of these games they must compete in themselves; others are staged games broadcast over televisions.

Sounds very Vegas, right? Unfortunately, it's not. People don't have money to gamble with so they fall back on things like slave labor, their children, or their lives. It is a horrifying society in a way that is oddly more real to me than the other territories we have seen. Technically, it's the same old story of Pendragon: two cultures exist, one of which is somehow 'superior' to the other and enslaves the rival culture. Badness ensues. The oppressed culture gets pissed. But this time the superior culture is one I can see in my own life. I would see the letters B L O K to refer to the mega-company, but my mind would say "Walmart".

This was probably my favorite in the Pendragon series; although I did finally figure out why I'm not as in love with these books as I should be - the repetition. The reader is bombarded with the same messages over and over again from Bobby - I shouldn't be here. I want to go home. I'm not worthy. I am worthy. blah blah blah. It's not just once a book that we here these things; it's more like once a chapter. I think if you cut out all of the unnecessary repetitions of Bobby's feelings, these books would probably be half as long as they are. But I'm willing to deal with this annoyance for the good points of the story.

Book Review: Pendragon 5 and 6

Title: Black Water
Author: D.J. MacHale
Published: 2004 Pages: 427
Genre: YAL, SciFi
Rating: 3.5/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

The fifth book in the Pendragon series, Black Water strays from the first four in one way which to me is very intriguing. Much like the past books, the central conflict revolves around two tribes of people, but on Black Water, the controlling group are human-sized, intelligent cats and the oppressed population are seemingly unintelligent mute humans. Fascinating.

Obviously, the conflict involves the human slaves rising up against their cat masters, but it is not that simple. The humans are not trying to destroy their masters, merely escape to a legendary, if not mythical, land referred to as Black Water. Saint Dane is of course there to wreak havoc and he does so by committing a Traveler sin - bringing items from one territory to another. Unfortunately, Saint Dane is not the only Traveler doing this. As a matter of fact, the "good guys" are doing something much worse.

I really enjoyed this story. The number of characters and their personalities were impressive, and the plot was interesting and more complex than I first thought it would be.




Title: The Rivers of Zadaa
Author: D.J. MacHale
Published: 2005 Pages: 405
Genre: YAL, SciFi
Rating: 3/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

The Rivers of Zadaa is the sixth book of MacHale's Pendragon series which chronicles the adventures of Bobby Pendragon, a teenage boy who is on a quest to prevent the destruction of Halla (all times and places).

In this installment, Bobby is on Zadaa, home of Loor, his friend and fellow traveler. Saint Dane, the bad guy, has fueled the fire to cause war between the two tribes of Zadaa: the Batu and the Rokador. The two tribes have lived in relative harmony for generations, but a water shortage has pushed relations to the edge.

This part of the plot was interesting, if a bit predictable. The real interest for me in this book was the growth of the protagonist, Bobby Pendragon. In the first five books, Bobby is more of an unwitting, unwilling hero who enjoys the excitement of these adventures while admitting to being perfectly terrified and rather unsure of himself. In this, the sixth book, he seems to be growing into a more mature Traveler, discovering his own abilities and strength.

MacHale doesn't go far with this plotline; it is more hinted at with Bobby's first training in combat and a strange event at the end which I won't detail here. I'm betting the seventh book explores this further.

Weekly Geeks: Summer Fun

The Weekly Geeks' question: A couple of weeks ago our WG theme was the kick off of summer in the US. Right now us geeks in the Northern Hemisphere are anxiously awaiting summer's arrival (hold on Southern Hemps, I'll get to you in a moment). For a lot of parents, this means a couple of months wondering what to do with the kiddies who were in school all year. Now I realize not everyone is a parent but I'm almost 100% positive everyone was a kid once. So here's my challenge, you have several choices:


1) Make a reading list of your favorite children's (school aged) books to read over the summer.

2) Give us some fun activities to do during the summer.

3) Tell us about a favorite vacation spot. Maybe someone will want to go there too!
4) Tell us about a favorite summer memory you have of being a kid (the time you caught the big one, learning to swim, summer camp, etc).


I don't have any kids at home but I thought I'd still choose a kid-related topic -mixing options 1 and 2. So here are some interesting books for kids and some fun activities you can do while reading them. First, the books:


1. Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
2. Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
3. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien
4. Anything by Gary Paulsen
5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
6. Holes by Louis Sachar
7. Lyddie by Katherine Paterson
8. Sounder by William Armstrong
9. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
10. Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt
11. Anything by Lois Duncan

Now, activities...

1. Drawing: Readers can draw characters, scenes, settings, etc. Depending on the age of the reader, you can have them draw the "most important" and then tell you why that particular character, scene, setting, etc. is the most important. Whatever the age, it is important to make the drawing public in some way - on the fridge, start a reading journal in a three ring binder, frame the picture...

2. Drama: This can be done in many, many ways. One way is to have the reader(s) write out a script for a particular scene and perform it. This can, of course, be done at a variety of levels with choices such as setting, costumes, music, and so on. If you don't have the time, money, or items necessary to actually stage a play, you can just play producer and figure out a plan for a play. What famous actors would star in the film? Where would you shoot the film? Other possibilities: Grab some Barbie Dolls and G.I. Joes and stage a play. Make Play-Doh figures, create puppets, use whatever is handy to make the characters. Finally, if the book is dialogue heavy or a particular chapter is, you can have the reader(s) take on different roles and read out loud from the book.

3. Children's Book: After finishing the book, one way to help cement the book in a reader's head is to have them retell the story. A way to do this is by having him create a children's book based on the book he just read. He rewrites the story for preschool age children; draws pictures for the text. Mostly when I use this activity, we use construction paper, crayons/colored pencils/markers, a three-hole punch, and yarn, but I've had students type the story on a computer and use images off the internet as well.

4. Adventures: If the book is centered around an adventure, you can sometimes set up a similar adventure for your reader(s), especially younger ones. If reading a book set in the woods, go out into the country, the woods, a state park, etc. If a library is featured in the book, go to a library. I've actually done this one before; The parent, the child (7 yrs. old), and I had a silly and quiet game of hide and seek in one section of the library to imitate the chase scene in the book we had just read. Some libraries may frown upon this, but I think making the library fun is a good idea. You can create an adventure in your own house if you have a good imagination.

5. Dress Up: Playing dress up is fun for all ages, and if the book is the right one, readers can have a lot of fun creating and wearing the outfits from the novel. Obviously this can be paired with the Drama activities, but it certainly doesn't have to.

6. Writing: Besides rewriting the story in a children's book style, there are other ways for readers to write about their reading. Readers can keep a journal, summarizing the book and including their opinions about it. You could have readers write a poem about the book, write a short story of the same genre, write a short story that predates or postdates the action in the book, write a scene from the book in another character's perspective, and so on. Don't think that these activities require older readers. My 6 year old cousin loved to write "assignments" like these.

There are many, many activities which can be done before reading, while reading, and after reading to help make the book fun, interesting, and memorable to the reader. I do strongly recommend that whatever the age of your child, you have them keep a reading journal/log, to record the activities completed for each book. Put in the pictures your child draws, the writings she produces, pictures of plays you guys put on, pictures of places you have your adventures, everything. It will make the activities have a purpose and your kid will love it when she gets older.

Book Review: My Sister's Keeper

Title: My Sister's Keeper
Author: Jodi Picoult
Published: 2004 Pages: 528
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

In My Sister's Keeper, 13 year old Anna sues her parents over rights to her own body. Anna was conceived for the specific purpose of saving her sister's life. Kate was diagnosed with a form of leukemia and needed a perfect donor. Along comes Anna. But after 13 years of undergoing medical procedures to save her sister, Anna wants to stop.

The novel is the story of the courtcase, interwoven with snippets from the past. Each character narrates the individual chapters which I thought was a very effective way to tell the story. The reader is given a look into the thoughts and perspectives of everyone involved. We hear the voices of her parents, her brother and sister, her lawyer, and her court-appointed advocate.

Picoult does not make the characters superficial cliches or stereotypes. This is not the story of sweet Anna fighting against her evil parents. Intentions and emotions are not that simple. How far would any parent go to save their child? How much would they risk? How much do they lose? Family dynamics, especially in the midst of such tragedy, are complex, and Picoult reveals these complexities throughout the novel.
The bulk of the novel held my interest, made me think, make me feel. My only real disappointment was the end of the novel. From reading other reviews about this novel, I'm finding that most seem to enjoy the ending, if enjoy is the right word, but to me the end felt more like a play for sensationalism than a cohesive ending to the story which had been told previously.

Book Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon
Published: 2003 Pages: 226
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 5/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Written from the point of view of an autistic 15 year old boy, Curious Incident shows readers a very unique perspective on family, relationships, trust, and taking the train to London. I fell in love with the main character, Christopher; his not-quite-perfectly logical nature, obsession with math, desire to be a detective, and bravery combine to create a personality that is simultaneously heart-warming and heart-breaking.
The book is a quick read; simple sentences are used and words and ideas are expressed efficiently and clearly. As narrator, Christopher does not pontificate needlessly on the veins of a leaf on a tree. In fact, he only includes descriptions because his teacher told him to.
The world is a difficult place for Christopher. He desires nothing more than to be left alone. Readers can feel his frustration with adults who want to talk all the time and yet never say what they mean. But I can also feel the frustration of the adults Christopher comes into contact with. The difficulty of autism exists on both sides of the spectrum, and Haddon did a wonderful job, in my opinion, of expressing that difficulty - the opposing desires of the two sides, the inability to communicate effectively with each other. I felt for Christopher, and for his parents and neighbors. I would highly recommend this book.

BTT: 15 for the Ages

“This can be a quick one. Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.”

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Absolutely loved the way it was written, the words, the tone, the philosophies, wonderful.

Babysitters Club series - Not so much for the book itself but the story that accompanies the series. I went to check out a few of them from the local library and the librarian wouldn't let me borrow them because she felt I was too young to read them. My grandmother had to come in with me. This happened a second time when I tried to loan Macbeth - I believe I was in sixth or seventh grade. I stopped going to libraries after that and started buying books. It took until I was in highschool to even read Macbeth.

King Lear - I read Romeo and Juliet first and didn't like the story at all. King Lear was the second Shakespearean play I read, still in grade school, and I loved it. Over the next five or six years I read almost every play.

The Phantom Tollbooth - I didn't read this until I was in my early twenties. I think it was the first "kids book" I read as an adult. Sort of started me on my journey of children's and YA literature.

Lord of the Rings - There is just something about this story that appeals. I read the books quite a few times, watched the movies, even joined an online site about LotR. I became fascinated with the world Tolkien had created and went on to read the other stories about Middle Earth and its origins.

Middlemarch - Eliot's novel is one of the first longer books I read in college. I was intrigued not just by the story in the book, but also by Eliot's life.

The Moonstone - This book began my love of Irish literature and even inspired me to take courses in Irish lit while I was in undergrad and graduate school.

Inferno - I found the vision of hell portrayed in inferno disturbing and appropriate and the circles and the punishments and the pathways were embedded in my mind.

The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde's vision in this novel was surprising and intriguing to me. I loved the interplay of reality with fiction. The idea of moving in and out of the world of books "for real" appeals to me because that's how I feel when I read - as if I am in the book.

Princess - Sasson wrote a biography of a Middle Eastern woman and detailed the oppression this woman lived under. I read it young and was horrified by the treatment of women in this culture; it opened my eyes to a style of believing and a way of living that was extremely remote from my own life.

Harry Potter - The Phantom Tollbooth may have opened my eyes to YAL but the Harry Potter series immersed me in it. Like LotR, I fell in love with the world the books created.

Tommyknockers - Terrifying.

Life of Pi - This story, which seems so innocent, disturbed me greatly. I can't describe the feeling I had when I finished the book.

Winesburg, Ohio - The interwoven stories of the people of the town moved me somehow. Short, but infinitely meaningful to me, each story seemed to familiarize me with the already familiar.

Arabian Nights - This text showed me that people are people regardless of time and place. The stories filled with love, betrayal, sex, and revenge could, with very little modification, be perfectly relevant today.

~~~~~~~~

Well I did as the question asked; no real thought was put in to the above writing. It was pure stream of consciousness - some sentences may have no meaning for whoever reads them, some sentences aren't even sentences. These books are not necessarily my favorite books. Some of them I haven't thought about in years.

I wrote this post in less than 8 minutes. I feel very satisfied for some reason. Wonderful prompt.

Book Review: American Gods

Title: American Gods
Author: Neil Gaiman
Published: 2001 Pages: 461
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

American Gods is an oddly non-philosophical story regarding a paradigm shift. What I mean is that the plot is a plot, not a theoretical monologue about the significance or the importance of the action, but a story that readers can philosophize about or not as they see fit. There is deep meaning and an almost but not quite subtle reflection on contemporary theology, but at its foundation, American Gods is a good story.

Shadow, the protagonist, is a vehicle through which the reader is introduced to the gods of other cultures brought to America by immigrants who, through their progeny, disremembered their original gods and acclimated to a land that is fertile ground for the immediate and temporary, not for the timelessness of gods. In the story, the ancient gods are set to fight the new gods. Norse gods, Albanian gods, Egyptian gods, and many others are gathering for the last battle against modern belief systems, gods of internet and television and media.

This story is myth, not in the Snow White mode, but in Gilgamesh. Gods walk amongst men and share some of their characteristics. They rely on the belief of men; they are born of the belief of men and fade in disbelief. The gods of old behave as the gods of old behaved: not in the absent, all-loving, but removed way of the monotheistic tradition; they feel fear, jealousy, hate; they manipulate, create, and destroy. They are tricksters and deceivers. I believe this familiarity - I teach Ancient and Medieval Literature - is one of the reasons I enjoyed the novel so much.

But also, the story itself is good. The characters are unique, the conflicts are interesting, and the setting is fascinating in its familiarity and its otherness. America is America in the story, but it is infused with a believable nonreality. Roadside attractions are holy places; regular towns prosper from child sacrifices.

American Gods is not an easy read; it is long, weighty, and non-entirely satisfying in its wrap-up, but it is worth the trouble.

Book Review: Preludes and Nocturnes

Title: Preludes Nocturnes
Author: Neil Gaiman
Published: 1995 Pages: 235
Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror
Rating: 3/5

Buy  |  Borrow  |  Accept  |  Avoid

Preludes Nocturnes is the first novel in Gaiman's Sandman series. A graphic novel, P&N introduces readers to Morpheus, the Master of Dreams. Imprisoned for decades by a power-hungry man, Morpheus frees himself and attempts to retake various trappings of his profession. Other stories, related directly or indirectly, are interwoven into the narrative.

I was intrigued by the foundation this novel sets up, but I'm not rushing to go out and buy the second. I probably will as I am a bit curious to see where the story goes. I will say this: There is a mini-story in the novel called 24 Hours that is absolutely horrifying. I was so disturbed I read it twice - I like being disturbed; what can I say?

The more I write and think about this novel, the more I find myself feeling kindly towards it if that makes sense. For instance, I just flipped it open and caught this passage:

"People think dreams aren't real because they aren't made of matter, of
particles. Dreams are real but they are made of viewpoints, of images, of
memories and puns and lost hopes."

A wonderful philosophy. So I will go buy the next and see what happens.

Side Note: I typed up the review for this quite a while ago, but forgot to post it, so that's why this review comes after my review of Doll's House.

Day 1: 50 minutes

Time: 50 mins
Conditions: Cold and Windy
Speed: Fast

Well I just got in my first ride. I was really testing the bike out, switching gears, seeing how sharp I can turn, braking fast and slow, and the such not. It is so weird being on a bike again. The idea that you can remember how to do something just 'like riding a bike' is definitely true. My body picked up the rhythm and balance of bike riding pretty fast. I'll be shouting 'look mom, no hands' by the end of my ride tomorrow.

I have one minor regret about my purchase. I probably should have front wheel suspension; those bumps are going to be killer on the arms for longer rides. But I'm trying to look at that as a better workout for my upper body.

I would have gone longer today but I have big plans for dinner and needed to head back home. Tomorrow I'm going to see how long I can ride around Momence - we'll see if I crack from boredom, sore legs, or breathing.

My New Bike

The Trek Hybrid 7000 is the lowest in its line but still costs more than a newbie biker like me should have spent, especially since it looks like the rain is never ever ever going to go away and all this bike will do is decorate my garage. But isn't it awesome!

Seriously though, I can not wait to get out on the road with this bike.

Take a Chance Book List

I'll add to this as I discover what books I'll be reading.

1. Random Book Selection: Experience and Education by John Dewey. I went for my profession on this one. The Education section in my home county Barnes and Noble is not exactly jam packed with relevant books, so I admit that I bypassed my first pick- which was something about parenting a school age children - and used my second pick.

2. Random Word: Amend. I found very few books with the word 'amend' in the title, but when I finally did find one that fit the bill, what a title it had. Some Advice to the People! Be Not Conceited, Beware of Humbugs, Hate Cant, Restrain Your Tongues, Amend Your Ways, and Hang Together! Published in 1847, this text is described on amazon.com as "With Sundry Other Odds And Ends Of Counsel, Loosely Appended To The Second Edition Of My Dog Brace, In Many Respects A Very Irregular Poem." I can not wait to get my hands on this book!

3. Birth Year Book: 1980. I had a ton of choices for this category, everything from Woody Allen to Salman Rushdie to Stephen King to Carl Sagan. It is actually very difficult to decide on one text from this list. Finally though, I decided to read one from the list which fit into another challenge I'm doing, The Chunkster Challenge, so I chose Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose.

4. Judge a Book by its Cover: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I must admit I went to my own shelves for this one, but I have soooo many TBR books. A quick glance through and I was hooked on this book though. The cover is so....simple. DONE AND REVIEWED

5. Phoning an Author: Dover. With Dover as the random last name, I found a lot of books published by the Dover publishing company, but then I came across K.J. Dover who writes on ancient Greece, which tickles my fancy as I teach Ancient and Medieval Literature. I am going to read Dover's book, Greek Homosexuality.

6. Public Spying: No Touch Monkey by Ayun Halliday. To clarify, the subtitle of this book is "and other travel lessons learned to late". I went to the Barnes and Noble Cafe to meet a friend and at one point looked up and saw an older man (60-70) reading this book, and thought - Oh wow, that old guy's reading a book called No Touch Monkey, too funny. My next thought was that it was perfect for the challenge.

7. Random Bestseller: 1955. I didn't even truly search the week's bestseller list. Once I saw the cover for Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis, I was hooked and decided that it was the one. The subtitle "An Irreverent Escapade" is even better than the cover.

8. Lit Riff.

9. Poetic Review: Watchmen by Allan Moore.

10. Movie/Book Comparison: Auntie Mame. I'm not sure if this is acceptable, but Auntie Mame is also a movie. I would do Coraline, my second choice, but the film doesn't come out on DVD until July 21. If that's when I'm ready to do this portion, then Coraline it is, but if I get ahead of myself, I'm going with Auntie Mame. I ended up switching to Coraline.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Challenge Completed: September 28, 2009
Books Read: Auntie Mame, The Name of the Rose, Experience and Education, Some Advice, Watchmen, the perks of being a wallflower, No Touch Monkey, Coraline, Greek Homosexuality, Lit Riff

I *heart* Random

I love randomness so when I saw this reading challenge, I had to sign up...even though I'm already in three. Here are the rules:

1. Random Book Selection. Go to the library. Position yourself in a section such as Fiction, Non-Fiction, Mystery, Children (whatever section you want). Then write down random directions for yourself (for example, third row, second shelf, fifth book from right). Follow your directions and see what book you find. Check that book out of the library, read it and then write about it. (If you prefer, you can do the same at a bookstore and buy the book!)

2. Random Word. Go to this random word generator and generate a random word. Find a book with this word in the title. Read the book and write about it.

3. Birth Year Book. Find a book that was published or copyrighted in the year of your birth. Read the book and write about it.

4. Judge A Book By Its Cover. Pick out a book based SOLELY on the cover. First, write about what you expect the book to be about based on the cover art. Then read the book and write about how the book was different from and/or similar to what the cover art led you to expect.

5. Phoning An Author. Pick a random last name out of the phone book. Find an author with the same last name and read a book by them. Write about it. (I'm flexible ... if the first random name you pick is Xprxyrsss, you can pick again!)

6. Public Spying. Find someone who is reading a book in public. Find out what book they are reading and then read the same book. Write about it.

7. Random Bestseller. Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1950 for the min. and 2008 for the max. and then hit generate. Then go to this site and find the year that Random.org generated for you and click on it. Then find the bestseller list for the week that would contain your birthday for that year. Choose one of the bestsellers from the list that comes up, read it and write about it.

8. Lit Riff (inspired by the book Lit Riffs by Matthew Miele.) Choose a song and then write a brief story that is inspired by or further explains the lyrics of the song.

9. Poetic Review. Write a book review in three different forms of verse: haiku, limerick and free verse. (You can pick any book you want to write about.)

10. Movie/Book Comparison. Find a book that you haven't read that has a movie based on it that you haven't seen. Read the book and watch the movie within a few days of each other. Write about your reactions to both the book and the movie and compare the two.

Now, how fun does all of that sound!?!?! I can't wait to find out what books I'll be reading and writing about.